Area farmers need disaster declaration

Published: Sunday, August 4, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 2, 2013 at 4:42 p.m.

Gov. Pat McCrory should move quickly to declare an agricultural disaster in Henderson and other North Carolina counties where farmers are facing massive crop losses due to historic heavy rains, once estimates of all the damages are in hand.

Henderson County officials are doing their part. Mark Williams, the county’s agribusiness director, invited U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows to tour the damage that heavy rains have caused to virtually every crop. Meadows spent half a day July 26 touring flood-damaged fields and farms.

With rainfall running close to double normal amounts, many farmers are faced with low crop yields, or in some cases no crops at all.

“I’ve seen it wet all season, where we picked in the rain all day, but I’ve never seen it where we couldn’t get a crop in the ground,” farmer Randy Edmundson said.

Of the roughly 85 acres he farms, Edmundson has lost all but eight acres of tomatoes that were planted on higher ground. Flooding wiped out 45 acres of sweet corn, 10 acres of crookneck squash, 10 acres of zucchini, five acres of beans and several acres of pumpkins. He is not alone.

Kirby Johnson, a seventh-generation farmer in Mills River, estimates that he has lost 300 acres of sweet corn along the French Broad River, nearly half his planted acreage. About 60 percent of his pepper crop has been destroyed along with roughly 20 percent of his tomatoes.

Flooding also took 700 acres of corn at Taproot Dairy. Without enough feed to support them, the dairy has been forced to sell off between 250 and 300 of its herd, leaving roughly 450 cows left. It’s the first time in 93 years Bradley Johnson’s family has had to sell cows due to lack of feed.

Virtually every segment of agriculture in Henderson County has been hurt by the excessive rainfall, Williams says. Corn and vegetable crops, tree nurseries, sod and hay fields, apple orchards, berry patches and cattle ranchers have all taken a hit.

“Anybody farming in the areas near rivers or flat ground has suffered significant damage, and in many cases, their crops were destroyed altogether,” Williams said.

The damage will have major repercussions in Henderson County, where agriculture makes up about 17 percent of employment and the total economy. The county has more than 5,507 farms and 37,947 acres of cropland that contribute nearly $400 million to the local economy, according to figures compiled in 2008 by N.C. State University.

Williams says those figures are a bit dated and “grossly understated,” and the actual numbers are even larger. In 2011, Henderson County farms employed 8,152 workers and had a payroll of more than $18.5 million. The same year, the county ranked 11th in North Carolina for total crops cash receipts and third in the state for vegetable, fruit and nut cash receipts.

Williams said he invited Meadows because he wanted him to see the damage firsthand, and praised the congressman’s quick response. “It means a whole lot more than just reading some report,” Williams said. “He was extremely gracious and literally was here within 48 hours of the time I asked him.”

The congressman says his office is reaching out to agencies to explore options for low-cost loans, different forms of crop insurance and federal relief. That will take a federal disaster declaration for agriculture, which must be requested by the governor.

Williams said the disaster facing local farmers highlights both the importance of getting the stalled farm bill passed and the limitations of federal disaster relief for farmers. Many good disaster relief programs have been cut and low-interest federal loans, although helpful, do not cover all of the losses farmers face.

Local agriculture officials have compiled initial damage estimates and will meet again next week to update reports to the Farm Service Agency. As state agriculture officials tally up the losses the torrential rains have inflicted on farmers across the mountains and the state, they should expedite a disaster declaration and the assistance that farmers need. Doing so will help our farmers stay in business and protect a growing part of our economy.

<p>Gov. Pat McCrory should move quickly to declare an agricultural disaster in Henderson and other North Carolina counties where farmers are facing massive crop losses due to historic heavy rains, once estimates of all the damages are in hand.</p><p>Henderson County officials are doing their part. Mark Williams, the county’s agribusiness director, invited U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows to tour the damage that heavy rains have caused to virtually every crop. Meadows spent half a day July 26 touring flood-damaged fields and farms.</p><p>With rainfall running close to double normal amounts, many farmers are faced with low crop yields, or in some cases no crops at all.</p><p>I’ve seen it wet all season, where we picked in the rain all day, but I’ve never seen it where we couldn’t get a crop in the ground, farmer Randy Edmundson said.</p><p>Of the roughly 85 acres he farms, Edmundson has lost all but eight acres of tomatoes that were planted on higher ground. Flooding wiped out 45 acres of sweet corn, 10 acres of crookneck squash, 10 acres of zucchini, five acres of beans and several acres of pumpkins. He is not alone.</p><p>Kirby Johnson, a seventh-generation farmer in Mills River, estimates that he has lost 300 acres of sweet corn along the French Broad River, nearly half his planted acreage. About 60 percent of his pepper crop has been destroyed along with roughly 20 percent of his tomatoes.</p><p>Flooding also took 700 acres of corn at Taproot Dairy. Without enough feed to support them, the dairy has been forced to sell off between 250 and 300 of its herd, leaving roughly 450 cows left. It’s the first time in 93 years Bradley Johnson’s family has had to sell cows due to lack of feed.</p><p>Virtually every segment of agriculture in Henderson County has been hurt by the excessive rainfall, Williams says. Corn and vegetable crops, tree nurseries, sod and hay fields, apple orchards, berry patches and cattle ranchers have all taken a hit.</p><p>Anybody farming in the areas near rivers or flat ground has suffered significant damage, and in many cases, their crops were destroyed altogether, Williams said.</p><p>The damage will have major repercussions in Henderson County, where agriculture makes up about 17 percent of employment and the total economy. The county has more than 5,507 farms and 37,947 acres of cropland that contribute nearly $400 million to the local economy, according to figures compiled in 2008 by N.C. State University.</p><p>Williams says those figures are a bit dated and grossly understated, and the actual numbers are even larger. In 2011, Henderson County farms employed 8,152 workers and had a payroll of more than $18.5 million. The same year, the county ranked 11th in North Carolina for total crops cash receipts and third in the state for vegetable, fruit and nut cash receipts.</p><p>Williams said he invited Meadows because he wanted him to see the damage firsthand, and praised the congressman’s quick response. It means a whole lot more than just reading some report, Williams said. He was extremely gracious and literally was here within 48 hours of the time I asked him.</p><p>The congressman says his office is reaching out to agencies to explore options for low-cost loans, different forms of crop insurance and federal relief. That will take a federal disaster declaration for agriculture, which must be requested by the governor.</p><p>Williams said the disaster facing local farmers highlights both the importance of getting the stalled farm bill passed and the limitations of federal disaster relief for farmers. Many good disaster relief programs have been cut and low-interest federal loans, although helpful, do not cover all of the losses farmers face.</p><p>Local agriculture officials have compiled initial damage estimates and will meet again next week to update reports to the Farm Service Agency. As state agriculture officials tally up the losses the torrential rains have inflicted on farmers across the mountains and the state, they should expedite a disaster declaration and the assistance that farmers need. Doing so will help our farmers stay in business and protect a growing part of our economy.</p>